Thunder Quest
by Amelia Bright
Summary: DISCONTINUED.
1. Allegiances & Chapter 1

**A/N: I know, it's pretty ridiculous to be starting a new story when I'm in the middle of three others (Lightningtail, Wisps of Smoke, 100 OneShot Challenge), but I just can't help it. Sorry, but I probably will not be updating each story equally.  
PS: The cats with a *** **by their names are the main characters, whose POVs will be shown.**

Allegiances

**ShadowClan**

Leader: Sparkstar: large ginger tabby tom with dark blue eyes

Deputy: * Snowheart: white she-cat with amber eyes

Medicine Cat: Cloudstorm: dark gray tabby tom with a white underbelly and blue eyes  
Apprentice: Honeygaze

Warriors  
Lakespots: calico and white she-cat with blue eyes  
Apprentice: Nettlepaw

Reedfur: black tom with green eyes

Flameclaw: handsome ginger tabby tom with green eyes  
Apprentice: Thornpaw

Grasswhisker: cream-colored she-cat with long brown whiskers and green eyes

Whitefur: white she-cat with amber eyes  
Apprentice: Frostpaw

Shrewclaw: light brown tom with green eyes

Hawktalon: dark brown tabby tom with amber eyes

Silverleg: black she-cat with silver legs and blue eyes

Apprentices  
Thornpaw: golden brown tabby tom with amber eyes

Nettlepaw: gray tabby she-cat with green eyes

Frostpaw: white tom with green eyes

Honeygaze: light gray tabby she-cat with amber eyes, medicine cat apprentice

Queens  
Goldensky: golden tabby she-cat with amber eyes (mother of Reedfur's kits: Wolfkit, Nightkit, and Skykit)

Kits  
Wolfkit: dark gray tabby tom with amber eyes

Nightkit: black tom with blue eyes

Skykit: golden tabby she-cat with white chest and paws and blue eyes

Elders  
Breezetail: black she-cat with pale blue eyes

Falconfeather: brown and white tabby tom with green eyes

**WindClan**

Leader: Echostar: silver tabby she-cat with clear green eyes

Deputy: Redstreak: reddish brown tabby tom with amber eyes

Medicine Cat: * Lightfall: pale ginger she-cat with blue eyes  
Apprentice: Mosspaw

Warriors  
Wolftail: long-haired gray tom with a bushy tail and amber eyes

Birchpelt: pale brown tabby tom with green eyes, former ThunderClan warrior

Breezeheart: light gray she-cat with green eyes  
Apprentice: Willowpaw

Scorchtail: gray tabby tom with amber eyes

Rosefoot: white she-cat with brown paws and green eyes

Owltalon: black tom with wide green eyes  
Apprentice: Branchpaw

Crowflight: very dark gray, almost black, tom with icy blue eyes

Ashwing: gray and white she-cat with light blue eyes

Apprentices  
Willowpaw: light gray tabby she-cat with blue eyes

Branchpaw: skinny brown tom with amber eyes

Mosspaw: short-furred brown tabby she-cat with black underbelly and paws and green eyes, medicine cat apprentice

Queens  
Stormlight: gray tabby she-cat with blue eyes (mother of Birchpelt's kits: Ivykit & Mousekit)

Leafpetal: dainty brown tabby she-cat with amber eyes (expecting Crowflight's kits)

Kits  
Ivykit: gray and white tabby she-cat with green eyes

Mousekit: small brown tabby she-cat with blue eyes

Elders  
Icepool: white she-cat with blue eyes

Spiderfang: small black tom with amber eyes

**RiverClan**

Leader: Thrushstar: brown tabby she-cat with blue eyes

Deputy: Cloverstep: gray tabby she-cat with green eyes

Medicine Cat: Snowdapple: black and white she-cat with amber eyes  
Apprentice: Oaktail

Warriors  
Stormfang: dark gray tabby tom with blue eyes

Minnowsplash: light silver tabby she-cat with blue eyes  
Apprentice: Brightpaw

Nightsong: graceful black she-cat with amber eyes  
Apprentice: Leafpaw

Tigerfang: dark brown tabby tom with green eyes

Foxstep: ginger tom with amber eyes  
Apprentice: Cinderpaw

Smokefur: thick-furred gray tom with green eyes

Cloudshine: ginger and white she-cat with amber eyes

Petalfeather: brown tabby she-cat with amber eyes

Apprentices  
* Leafpaw: tortoiseshell she-cat with green eyes

Brightpaw: pure white she-cat with bright blue eyes

Cinderpaw: dark gray tabby tom with blue eyes

Oaktail: brown tabby tom with amber eyes, medicine cat apprentice

Queens  
Mistfeather: light gray tabby she-cat with green eyes (expecting Tigerfang's kits)

Shadecloud: black she-cat with green eyes (mother of Foxstep's kits: Firekit and Sleekkit)

Kits  
Firekit: ginger tabby she-cat with amber eyes

Sleekkit: sleek black she-cat with green eyes

Elders  
Bluepelt: blue-gray tom with icy blue eyes

Leafsong: dark brown she-cat with green eyes

Splashheart: light gray she-cat with a white chest and amber eyes

**ThunderClan (driven out - doesn't live in lake territory)**

Leader: Sorrelstar: tortoiseshell she-cat with amber eyes

Deputy: Goldenfeather: long-haired golden tabby tom with amber eyes

Medicine Cat: Appleshine: very dark ginger she-cat with brown, almost black eyes

Warriors  
Streampelt: small silver tabby she-cat with blue eyes  
Apprentice: Ravenpaw

Runningshadow: mottled black and brown tom with green eyes

Mossfire: ginger she-cat with green eyes

Squirreltooth: gray-brown tabby tom with amber eyes  
Apprentice: Sprucepaw

Petalstreak: cream-colored tabby she-cat with gray eyes

Yellowstripe: pale ginger tabby tom with amber eyes

Apprentices  
Sprucepaw: dark brown tabby tom with green eyes

Ravenpaw: black she-cat with striking white whiskers and amber eyes

Queens  
Ashflight: dark gray she-cat with green eyes (mother of Squirreltooth's kit: Tinykit)

Kits  
Tinykit: small gray and white she-cat with green eyes

**Cats Outside Clans**

* Stain: black tom with large ginger patch on right shoulder and dark green eyes (rogue)

Copper: large, solid brown tom with a white underbelly and copper-colored eyes (rogue)

Dove: slender Siamese she-cat with blue eyes, former kittypet (rogue)

Duke: ginger tabby tom with white underbelly and amber eyes (kittypet)

Duchess: fluffy ginger she-cat with white paws and amber eyes, Duke's twin sister (kittypet)

Eagleheart: brown tabby tom with a white chest and muzzle and pale green eyes, exiled from ShadowClan (rogue)

Chapter 1

Snowheart's POV

"_Honeygaze__ and I have returned from the Moonpool, and I have received my nine lives and new name as a leader. I am now Snowstar, leader of ShadowClan!"_

"_Snowstar! Snowstar! Snowstar!" the Clan cheered. Snowstar eagerly took in their praise. After a while, she noticed that they wouldn't stop cheering. They just kept on chanting, "Snowstar! Snowstar!"_

"Snowstar, oh Snowstar!" my brother, Reedfur, meowed, chuckling. I lifted up my head, blinking sleep out of my eyes.

"What gives, Reedfur? I'm not Snowstar yet," I reminded him.

Reedfur purred, "I know that! But I could hear you in your sleep."

"Oh, yeah," I snapped, "Prove it!"

"You were saying, 'I have received my nine lives and new name as a leader. I am now Snowstar, leader of ShadowClan!'"

"Foxdung!" I yelped, "That was out loud?"

Reedfur nodded, "I'm afraid so."

"Well, if you hadn't woken me up, you would have found out that I was going to make you deputy next," I teased.

Reedfur exploded into laughter, "Me, deputy? You've got to be kidding. I'd be a horrible deputy! Really, if I was deputy, this Clan would be in total chaos."

"Well, it was just a dream," I muttered.

"Fair enough."

"Snowheart!" Sparkstar yowled, "Get over here!"

"Coming!" I replied. I ran over to where Sparkstar was standing. His striped ginger tail flicked impatiently.

"I need you to organize the patrols for the morning. That is your job as deputy, remember?"

I dipped my head, "Of course. I'll do that right now."

He purred, "Good."

There was an unusual story to how Sparkstar had gotten his unusual name.

_"Get everyone out of the camp, now!" Stonestar yowled as a fire raged in the ShadowClan camp._

_Cloudpaw, the medicine cat apprentice, yelped, "Rabbitfur is giving birth!"_

_Stonestar's amber eyes widened. He shook himself, then replied, "Okay then. Herbflower will stay with Rabbitfur. Everyone else, come on! You too, Cloudpaw."_

_In the nursery, Icestream and her mate, Blackpelt, rushed to gather their two young kits, Snowkit and Reedkit. The other queens and their kits were already out. Across the den, a ginger tabby she-cat yowled in pain, while a gray she-cat tried to comfort her._

_"Do you need any help?" Icestream offered._

_"No, I'll be fine," Herbflower replied._

_"If you're sure," the white queen replied. She ran out, giving one last concerned look over her shoulder. Blackpelt's amber eyes flashed._

_"We don't have time, Icestream."_

_"I know."_

_The couple ran, following the rest of their Clan. Rabbitfur screeched in agony once more._

_"Rabbitfur, relax," Herbflower meowed urgently, "There's only one kit. Now, push!"_

_Rabbitfur pushed, her muscles contracting with all their might. Eventually, the kit came out._

_"Good job, Rabbitfur," Herbflower encouraged, "It's a ginger tabby tom."_

_"He's perfect," Rabbitfur whispered._

_Herbflower picked up the kit. "Let's go," she mewed through a mouthful of ginger fur._

_The two she-cats ran away. Soon, Rabbitfur was gasping for breath. Her kitting had made her weaker, and she found it hard to breath over the fumes._

_"I'm not going to make it," she rasped, "Herbflower, save my son. He has a great destiny ahead of him; I can tell. Please, save him."_

_"Don't say that," Herbflower choked out, "You're going to make it, Rabbitfur."_

_The ginger she-cat shook her head. "No, I'm not. Save him."_

_"Very well." Herbflower raced out of the camp, leaving Rabbitfur behind. As she ran, sparks flew from the burning flames. They landed in the kit's striped ginger pelt, singeing the tips of his fur. When Herbflower finally made it out, she handed the kit to another queen, Breezetail._

_"Where is Rabbitfur?" Stonestar demanded._

_"She's," Herbflower's voice faltered, "Dead. She couldn't take all that smoke so soon after her kitting. She told me to save her son, and to leave her behind."_

_Stonestar hung his head. Rabbitfur was his mate, and he cared for her deeply._

_"Did she name the kit?" Breezetail asked._

_"No."_

_Herbflower looked down at the tiny tom. There was still one spark left, glowing dimly in his ginger fur. Herbflower's green eyes softened._

_She looked back up at Breezetail and Stonestar. "His name will be Sparkkit."_

It later turned out that his name suited him for other reasons as well.

Sparkstar had only two lives left, and he was probably going to lose them very soon, since he was always quick to go into battle with the other Clans. It had originally been his idea to get rid of ThunderClan. I remembered that vividly. At a Gathering, after ThunderClan left, the other three Clans stayed behind to come up with a plan to get rid of ThunderClan once and for all. Most of their warriors were either part or all kittypet, and there were only two or three left that were Clanborn. One of those was Birchpelt, who, instead of being driven out with his Clan, joined WindClan in order to stay with his mate, Stormlight, and to not be killed. Needless to say, their love was no longer forbidden. Most of the Clan cats, especially Sparkstar, agreed that we did not want ThunderClan tainting our forest any longer. A warrior from our Clan, and a close friend of mine, Eagleheart, objected to the decision, and Sparkstar exiled him from ShadowClan immediately. I still miss him. Sometimes I wonder if he is still alive. However, if he is, I swear that when I become leader, I will find him, and bring him back to ShadowClan, where he belongs.

**A/N: Before you jump to conclusions, there isn't/wasn't/won't be any romance between Snowheart & Eagleheart. They were just really close friends. **


	2. Chapter 2

Stain's POV

I lay on my back, my eyes narrowed against the sun's harsh glare as my black pelt easily soaked up the heat. The gray stone walls of my home stretched up towards the sky. The stone hollow where I lived was originally the home of ThunderClan, one of the Clans that lived around the lake. A few moons ago, ThunderClan was driven out, and I took the hollow as my own. Now my scent marks surrounded its perimeter. No other cats, except for my friends, dared come anywhere near here. That was probably because they knew that they wouldn't get away without injury. I closed my eyes in contentment; this was where I belonged.

I woke up to see a pair of copper eyes staring down at me. The tom's muzzle curled into a smile as I awoke.

"Copper!" I snapped, pushing him off, "What are you doing?"

"Same as you, Stain. Relaxing, enjoying life. I just thought I'd drop by to say hello," he replied.

"Okay then. Hello!" I closed my eyes again, "And goodbye."

Copper growled teasingly, "What's wrong, Stain? Too busy sunbathing to be nice?"

"Basically."

"Fine. I'll just go mess with some kittypets by myself," he meowed smugly.

I opened one eye, "You do that."

He grunted and shook out his thick brown fur. He climbed up the steep trail out of the hollow, lashing his tail angrily. At sunhigh, he returned with a streak of blood on his shoulder, and one eye swollen shut. I jumped onto my feet and padded over too him.

"Copper, what happened?" I asked, holding back a chuckle, "Did the kittypets beat you up?"

"No!" he snapped defensively. He paused for a moment before admitting, "The WindClan cats beat me up."

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, such an improvement."

"They're tougher than they look," he persisted, "And there were three of them."

"Please!" I snorted, "I could beat them single-pawed."

Copper grinned darkly, "Why don't you, then?"

"Copper," I begged, "Don't start this."

"Don't be such a scaredy-mouse, Stain. Help a brother out," he insisted.

"Two things. First, you're not my brother. Second, I'm in."

I followed him out of the hollow, towards the WindClan border. There were three cats hunting. One of them, a long-haired gray tom, spotted us.

"Rosefoot, Crowflight!" he called, "You'll never believe this. That rogue is back, and he brought a friend."

A white she-cat with brown paws trotted over, an amused gleam in her green eyes.

"Doesn't he understand when he's lost the battle?" she asked smugly.

A near-black tom with icy blue eyes joined them.

"Of course not," he chuckled, "And now he's bringing his friend down with him."

The long-haired tom nodded, "Well said, Crowflight."

"Listen here," I spat, "Copper might not be the strongest cat around. Or the best smelling, for that matter. But he's my best friend, and if you wanna mess with him, you gotta mess with me too."

"Wolftail, are you going to get him get away with talking to you like that?" Rosefoot asked.

Wolftail shook his head, "Of course not."

His long fur bristled, and his bushy tail puffed up three times its normal size. His eyes were narrowed into amber slits. I snarled, showing my teeth. Without warning, Crowflight leapt at Copper, who let out a caterwaul of surprise. I growled, and launched myself at Wolftail. He swiped at my chest with unsheathed claws, and I bit into his ear. He tried to push me off, but he only ended up getting a chunk of his ear missing. His hind claws scratched at my back legs, making me fall over. Off to the side, I could see Crowflight holding Copper down, while Rosefoot jumped around, nipping at him. Anger stirred in my chest. I flew into a rage, knocking Wolftail off before racing towards Copper's attackers.

"Leave him alone!" I yowled, barreling into Rosefoot. She yelped, and blindly swiped at my belly with her paws. We wrestled, and my fangs were inches away from her throat when a she-cat's voice yowled, "Stop!"

Everyone froze. Copper pushed Crowflight away and shook the blood from his fur. A silver tabby she-cat with clear green eyes padded over to us, nose wrinkled back in a snarl.

"Echostar!" Wolftail yelped, "I can explain."

"What's there to explain?" she asked, "It's simple. You, Crowflight, and Rosefoot couldn't manage to chase these rogues off of our territory."

Rosefoot spoke up, "That's not the whole story. The brown one, er, Copper, came first. We gave him a few wounds to remember us by before he ran off. Later, he returned, with this one." She flicked her ears at me.

Echostar looked straight into my eyes, green meeting green. "Ah, Stain. What a pleasant surprise to see you again," she meowed.

"Again?" I asked.

"Perhaps you remember me better as Echopaw. Stain, it's been far too long."

A burst of recognition swept through me. "You-You're that apprentice! The one who saved my life."

She winked. "Little slow there, huh?"

I laughed, "So you're leader now. That's fantastic. Congratulations!"

Echostar purred, "Thank you." She turned back to her warriors. "We better get back to camp. Wolftail, that ear looks pretty nasty. You should probably see Lightfall."

Wolftail murmured something that I couldn't hear.

The WindClan cats padded away. Echostar waved her tail at me and Copper.

"So, you can beat them single-pawed," he teased.

"Shut up!"


	3. Chapter 3

Lightfall's POV 

I lifted up my head as my apprentice, Mosspaw, came into the medicine den.

"Lightfall," she meowed urgently, "You need to come out here."

"Okay," I replied.

I walked out, and I saw Echostar coming back to camp followed by Rosefoot, Wolftail, and Crowflight. Wolftail was injured, bleeding heavily through a nick in his ear, while Rosefoot had a slight limp. On the other paw, Crowflight appeared virtually unscathed. I looked up at the sky to see that it was darkening. Tonight was the half-moon, which meant I had to go to the Moonpool to meet with the other medicine cats soon. Yet, Wolftail and Rosefoot needed my help.

"Mosspaw!" I called over my shoulder, "Do you mind staying home tonight and taking care of Wolftail and Rosefoot?"

"No problem."

"Thanks." I turned back to the injured warriors. "What exactly happened?" I asked.

"We were attacked by rogues," Wolftail explained, "Echostar let them go unpunished because she knew one of them." He wrinkled his nose in disgust. "If I was leader, I'd never let that happen."

I stiffened. Wolftail clearly knew exactly what kind of leader he would be, but he wasn't even deputy.

"Well, I have to go to the Moonpool. Don't worry; Mosspaw will take good care of you."

The brown tabby apprentice nodded in agreement, holding a cobweb to Wolftail's ear with one black paw.

As I made my way out of camp, I heard a voice shout, "Lightfall!"

I turned around to see Snowdapple, the RiverClan medicine cat, racing towards me. Her apprentice, Oaktail, trailed behind.

"Where's Mosspaw?" she asked.

"She's helping Wolftail and Rosefoot. They got hurt while fighting some rogues."

Snowdapple's amber eyes softened. "That's too bad. I bet she's close to getting her full name, huh, Lightfall?"

"Yep! She's making excellent progress," I agreed.

"Let's hurry up so that Cloudstorm doesn't yell at us," Oaktail interrupted, "You know how he can be."

We made it to the WindClan border. Cloudstorm was sitting there, lashing his tail impatiently.

"It's about time you got here," he growled.

"Sorry," I meowed.

"Is Honeygaze with you?" Snowdapple asked.

"No. She has a bellyache."

"Shouldn't you be there helping her?" Snowdapple pointed out.

Cloudstorm flicked his ears. "She's a medicine cat; she can take care of herself."

He led the way to the Moonpool. Behind him, Oaktail whispered, "He's got to be the grumpiest medicine cat the Clans have ever seen."

Snowdapple purred in amusement, "Don't be so sure. Remember the old stories of Yellowfang and Jayfeather?"

"Still," Oaktail muttered, "Cloudstorm's pretty grumpy. Good thing he's going to join the elders soon."

"You know," Cloudstorm snapped, "I might be getting old, but I can still hear you."

Oaktail and Cloudstorm had never gotten along very well.

We arrived at the Moonpool, and settled down on the flat rocks surrounding it. Its surface reflected Silverpelt's bright stars. I dipped my tongue into the frigid water, and my body relaxed. I was immediately sent into a deep slumber.

_My eyes opened, revealing the paradise that was StarClan's territory. To my surprise, I was not greeted by any of the starry warriors. My tail drooped; I was hoping to talk to my sister, Graycloud, who recently died while trying to chase off a badger. Instead I saw a pool of water, not the Moonpool, but larger. Surrounding the pool were StarClan cats, who seemed to take no notice of me. I didn't recognize any of them._

_There were four who were closest to the pool. The first was a large orange tom, who calmly swished one of his huge white paws through the water. The second was a black she-cat with thick, tangled fur. The third was a slender, wiry brown she-cat. Her yellow eyes scanned the crowd. And last was a long-haired silvery tom, with lucid green eyes._

"_Are we going to start soon?" he moaned._

_The orange tom pulled his paw out of the water and stood up, amber eyes gleaming. "Yes Riverstar. You may go first."_

_My jaw dropped open. Riverstar, the founder of RiverClan? _

_The silver tom dipped his head. "Thank you Thunderstar."_

_He walked closer to the pool. As he gazed in, a small tortoiseshell shape appeared in the water._

_Thunderstar nodded. "Good choice. She may only be an apprentice, but she is strong and determined. Shadowstar, your turn."_

_The black she-cat stood up and shook out her fur. Without a word, she stared into the pool, and a white cat appeared._

"_Are you sure?" a gray tabby tom asked, "She's the deputy. ShadowClan will need her, especially in these troubling times."_

_Shadowstar bristled. "Do you question my authority, Scarmask?"_

_He shook his head. "Of course not. I was just making sure."_

_I looked at Scarmask's face more closely to figure out why he had such a name. There was a long, deep scar across his left eye, leaving it partially closed, only a narrow slit of bright green showing._

_Shadowstar snorted, "Whatever. Windstar, you're up."_

_The wiry brown she-cat padded up, standing right next to Shadowstar. Windstar thought hard for a moment, before the shape appeared in the pool._

_I leaned in closer to get a better look. The cat in the pool was pale ginger, with blue eyes. My eyes widened in disbelief. It was me! _

"_A medicine cat?" Riverstar asked, "Are you sure?"_

"_Yes," Windstar responded simply, "They will need her wisdom healing expertise if they plan to make it very far at all on their journey."_

"_Good point," Shadowstar murmured._

"_Thunderstar?" Windstar meowed, "Are you going to choose one?"_

_Thunderstar shook his broad head. "No, I'm going to allow my brother to do it."_

_A white tom stepped forward. He had glistening silver eyes, and a kinky, crooked ginger tail._

"_Thank you, Thunderstar," he meowed._

"_Now remember," said Thunderstar, "Since ThunderClan has been driven out, you can just pick a cat from one of the other Clans."_

"_Fair enough."_

_The white tom stood at the pool. A black shape formed, with a ginger patch on its shoulder that lit up like fire._

"_What?" Scarmask exploded, "Lightningtail, are you insane? He's a rogue! He won't be any use! I knew it was a bad idea for Thunderstar to let you choose."_

_Lightningtail glared at him. "I know what I'm doing, Scarmask. He's brave, and a good fighter. Besides, he needs this."_

_Scarmask rolled his eye. "If you say so," he grumbled._

_Thunderstar rested his tail on Lightningtail's shoulders as the other cats left. "I'm not sure choosing a rogue is the best idea, brother. But if you think he's the right choice, I believe you."_

The vision faded, and I was back in the living world. The other medicine cats were staring at me with wide eyes.

"Y-you were chosen," Oaktail stuttered.

I nodded, still lost in thought. "Umhmm," I muttered incomprehensively.

"Chosen for what?" Oaktail wondered out loud.

I shook my head. "I have no idea. Who was chosen from your Clans?"

"Snowheart, our deputy, was chosen," Cloudstorm meowed.

"Riverstar chose an apprentice, Leafpaw," Snowdapple whispered.

"But who was that rogue?" I asked.

"I don't know," Cloudstorm answered.

My shoulders hunched over, and we all went our seperate ways, back to our own territories.


	4. Chapter 4

Leafpaw's POV

I followed Nightsong out of camp, feeling the crisp morning air against my skin. My sister, Brightpaw, and her mentor, Minnowsplash, were with us. We were going to collect moss for the elders. Cinderpaw was lagging behind.

"But Foxstep, I wanted to go on patrol with you!" he whined.

"Cinderpaw," his mentor replied gently, "Taking care of the elders is just as important as going on patrols. Now hurry along before Nightsong and Minnowsplash leave you behind."

"I don't want to go with all those she-cats!" Cinderpaw insisted.

Foxstep chuckled, "When I was your age, I would've thought that was the only reason it was worth my while. Times change, I suppose."

"Don't worry, Cinderpaw!" I called, "We don't bite!"

Cinderpaw raced over to us. "I know you don't," he meowed, grinning, "I'm not so sure about Brightpaw though."

"Hey!" she yelped indignantly, though her tone was light.

Cinderpaw butted her in the shoulder. "Ah, come on, you know I love you," he said in a friendly way.

I saw Brightpaw's neck fur prickle as she heard the word "love". It was no secret that she had a thing for Cinderpaw, although he was oblivious himself.

"Echem," Nightsong interrupted, "Earth to apprentices. Remember the moss?"

Brightpaw shook out her ruffled neck fur. "Right," she meowed, "Sorry Nightsong."

Naturally, the best place for moss was near the river, which we were proud to have in our territory. Not that the other Clans really wanted it anyway.

We began collecting the moss, carefully holding it with our chins while gathering more in our jaws. Brightpaw and Cinderpaw worked side by side, their pelts touching at times. I purred in amusement; they were really cute together.

We delivered the moss to the elders. Splashheart thanked us with warm appreciation, while Bluepelt grumbled about it being too wet. Leafsong flicked his ear with her tail, then apologized to us for the blue-gray tom's complaints.

After eating, I crawled into the apprentices' den, thoroughly exhausted. I laid down it my nest, next to Brightpaw, and fell asleep. I dreamed.

_I concentrated hard on the vole in front of me, careful not to make any sudden movements or noises. Leaves crackled behind me, and the vole scampered away. I turned around to see a long-haired silver tom, whose green eyes gazed at me calmly._

"_Hello, Leafpaw," he meowed, and his voice was eerily quiet and level._

"_Who-who are you?" I asked, "Are you a StarClan cat?"_

_He nodded. "I am Riverstar, first leader of RiverClan."_

"_Whoa! Not that I'm not excited to meet you and all, but what are you doing here?"_

_Riverstar chuckled, "Peace, young one. I have a message for you. You have been chosen."_

"_Chosen for what?"_

"_You will find out at the next quarter-moon. That night, you must go to the Island. There will be three other cats there; one ShadowClan, one from WindClan, and one rogue. If you do that, your mission will be revealed to you."_

_I stared at him, wide-eyed. I had never expected to be chosen by a StarClan cat before. The last time that had happened was ages ago, when Brambleclaw, Feathertail, Tawnypelt, and Crowfeather (then Crowpaw) had been sent to find the sun-drown place. I only knew of that from the stories my mother, Cloudshine, used to tell me in the nursery._

"_Will you do it, Leafpaw?" Riverstar asked._

_I thought for a moment, then nodded slowly. "Yes, I will do it."_

I woke up, startled. I considered telling Brightpaw about my dream, but she would probably blow it off, saying that I had an overactive imagination. I stood up, careful not to wake up Cinderpaw or Brightpaw, and made my way over to the medicine den. Oaktail was inside, with his back towards me.

"Hello," I meowed.

He turned his amber gaze on me. "Yes, Leafpaw?"

"Where's Snowdapple?" I asked, trying to ignore the odd feeling in the pit of my stomach.

"She's treating Bluepelt's cracked pads. Why do you need to see her?"

I lowered my voice to a whisper, "I had a dream."

He cocked his head to the side, and a knowing look gleamed in his eyes. "What kind of dream?"

I turned around, making sure no one could overhear. "Riverstar spoke to me. He said I was chosen for something, and that I had to go to the Island at the next quarter moon to learn more."

Oaktail nodded. "Good, good," he muttered under his breath.

"Oaktail?" I asked, "Do you know something I don't?"

His amber eyes shifted. "Leafpaw," he meowed, raising his voice, "Will you please help me collect herbs?"

"What about my dream?" I demanded.

"Just go with it, Leafpaw," he whispered into my ear. The wispy hairs in my ear tingled as his muzzle brushed against them. I nodded carefully.

Oaktail padded out of the den, flicking his tail to show me the way. Snowdapple came out of the elders' den.

"Where are you and Leafpaw going, Oaktail?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"She's going to help me collect herbs," he explained, "We're low on comfrey."

Snowdapple stepped closer to Oaktail and quietly asked, "Is this about a dream?"

Oaktail whispered something I couldn't hear. Snowdapple nodded.

"Carry on, then!" she meowed cheerfully. I followed Oaktail out of camp. When we got to a secluded area, he turned to face me again.

"Leafpaw," he began, "As you may know, the half-moon was two nights ago. In my dream, StarClan chose four living cats to do something. I'm still not sure what. You were one of those four cats, Leafpaw."

"Who else was?" I asked.

"I can't say."

"So, should I go to the Island at the quarter-moon?" I asked.

Oaktail looked me straight in the eye and replied, "Yes, you should."


	5. Chapter 5

Snowheart's POV

I saw a black form standing in front of the nursery entrance. I cocked my head to the side; did Breezetail miss her days as a queen, nursing Grasskit and Eaglekit? Did she miss her exiled son? I got closer, and saw that the black shape was Reedfur. I purred in amusement. He must be visiting Goldensky and his kits. I came up beside him, and looked into the nursery.

"They're adorable," I told him, watching as Nightkit tackled Wolfkit to the ground. Skykit sat to the side, watching them with her big blue eyes.

"Hey look," Nightkit squeaked, "There's Snowheart." The kits raced over to me, gathering around my feet. I brought my face down to their level.

"Hello kittens," I meowed, "Are you being good for your father?"

Wolfkit nodded heartily. "Of course. Reedfur loves us."

"Do you know what you want your warrior names to be?" I asked.

"I wanna be Skycloud!" Skykit yelped.

"Nightstorm!" Nightkit declared.

I turned to Wolfkit. "How about you?"

"I won't need a warrior name," he mewed, "I'll be leader. My name will be Wolfstar!"

Goldensky chuckled, "You have to be a warrior first, silly."

Wolfkit rolled his eyes. "Fine. I want to be called Wolfheart, then."

"Those are all very good names," Reedfur said, "I'll make sure to run them by Sparkstar."

Nightkit snorted. "By the time we're warriors, Sparkstar will be dead. Snowheart is going to name us!"

"Nightkit!" Goldensky snapped sternly, "There's no need to talk about your leader like that. Sparkstar has served us very well. He still has a few good seasons with us, plenty of time for you three to become warriors."

Despite what she said, I could tell by the look in her amber eyes that she wasn't so sure.

"May all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the Highbranch for a Clan meeting!" Sparkstar's voice rang out into the clearing.

"Goldensky, go ahead," Reedfur suggested, "I'll watch the kits."

His mate nodded. "Thank you."

Goldensky and I came out of the nursery and sat next to each other.

"I have two very important announcements. First," he said, motioning to Cloudstorm, "Cloudstorm, is it your wish to give up the name of a medicine cat and go to join the elders?"

"It is," the dark gray tom replied, his blue eyes tired and sad.

"Your Clan honors you and all the service you have given us. I call upon StarClan to give you many seasons of rest."

"Cloudstorm! Cloudstorm! Cloudstorm!" the warriors chanted the old medicine cat's name.

Sparkstar continued, "This means that Honeygaze is ShadowClan's new medicine cat. I know that she will serve her Clan well. One more thing; Grasswhisker is joining Goldensky in the nursery, because she is expecting Flameclaw's kits."

I gazed at the cream-colored she-cat. She was getting quite plump. I was surprised that I hadn't noticed earlier. Next to her, Flameclaw raised his head high and proud.

After the meeting, I padded over to my friend. "Congratulations!" I purred.

"Thank you," she replied, "I just wish that my brother was here to see my kits." Her brother was Eagleheart.

"I understand," I meowed soothingly, "Eagleheart was my best friend."

Grasswhisker nodded. "I know."

My ears pricked. "I have an idea," I meowed.

"What?"

"You should name one of your kits Eaglekit, in honor of Eagleheart."

"That's a brilliant idea. Are you sure you don't want to do that? He was your best friend."

I shook my head. "But he was your brother. Besides, I don't have a mate, and I doubt I ever will."

Grasswhisker's eyes brightened. "I could set you up with someone!" she purred.

"No. I'm deputy, Grasswhisker, and it would be hard to handle my duties while taking care of kits."

"Right, sorry."

Later that evening, I went back to the warriors' den, my legs feeling stiff. I settled down, let out a rusty purr, and closed my eyes.

_In my dreams, everything was pitch black. I blinked several times, but with no result. The darkness was broken by a pair of green eyes. They stared at me, as if waiting for a reaction._

"_Hello?" I asked timidly._

_The surroundings lightened, and I saw a thick-furred black she-cat, the owner of the green eyes._

_She snorted, "I thought you'd never fall asleep!"_

"_Who are you?"_

_She flicked her ears. "Aren't you mousebrains taught about Clan history any more? I am Shadowstar."_

_My eyes widened in surprise, and I quickly bowed my head. "Sorry."_

_Shadowstar narrowed her eyes. "Snowheart, go to the Island at the next quarter-moon."_

"_What for?"_

"_When one of the Clan founders tells you to do something, you don't question," she meowed, her voice turning serious, "All will be revealed that night."_

"_Will I be alone?"_

_Shadowstar shook her head. "No. Others have been chosen."_

"_Will I know any of them? I mean, will they all be from the Clans?"_

_She shrugged, "Most."_

"_What do you mean?" I asked, but it was too late. She had already faded into the night._


	6. Chapter 6

Stain's POV

Dove curled her slender body around mine. Purring loudly, her throat rumbled against my own. I draped my tail over her shoulders before slowly pulling it back. Her gray-tipped tail ticked my nose.

"Are you sure this is such a good idea?"

"Copper doesn't need to know," she whispered.

"But what if we get caught?"

"We won't."

I settled back down onto my haunches. "How can you be so sure?" I asked, still unsatisfied by her answers.

The blissful expression on her face disappeared. "Stain, it's unlike you to worry. We've been doing this for two moons now, and Copper hasn't suspected anything. Why would he now?"

"Do you still love him?" I asked, changing the subject.

Dove thought for a moment. "Yes, I do."

"And do you love me?"

"Of course!"

"But which one of us do you love more?"

She shrugged. "None of that matters. I love the both of you, and I wouldn't change a thing."

We continued our dance of love long into the night. The dark sky was still; watching, waiting. "I should leave now," Dove whispered.

"Good idea," I agreed. I pushed myself off of the dusty earth. Dove padded out, her tail brushing against the roof of our makeshift den as she left.

I stood up and stretched my haunches. I considered staying there for the night, but I knew Copper would come to the stone hollow expecting to see me in the morning. If I wanted my secret meetings with Dove to work, I needed to meet Copper's expectations, or else he would get suspicious. As much as I hated betraying my best friend, I couldn't stop loving Dove. She was perfect, perfect in every way, and I couldn't get enough.

By the time I made it back home, I was wiped. I wanted nothing more than to have a peaceful, dreamless sleep. But of course, that couldn't happen…

"_You certainly had a lot of fun tonight," a voice said, "I remember my late-night fiascos with Berryheart. Each one was better than the last."_

_I blinked my eyes open, disoriented. In front of me stood a white tom. He had silver eyes, and a ginger tail that was bent in many places._

"_Who are you?" I demanded, my muzzle curling into a snarl, "I'm trying to sleep here."_

"_Good, because that's exactly what you're doing."_

"_What's exactly what I'm doing?" I asked._

"_Sleeping," he replied simply, as if it was the most obvious question he had heard in his life._

"_Who are you?" I repeated._

_He curled his lip, and I bristled with rage. He was enjoying this!_

"_Lightningtail," he meowed suddenly._

"_What?"_

"_My name. I am Lightningtail."_

"_Lightning_tail_? I'm dreaming about a Clan cat? Well, this just keeps getting better and better," I growled in disgust._

"_Relax, Stain. You'll never hear my message if you keep talking."_

"_What makes you think I want to hear your message?" I threatened, thrusting my muzzle in his face._

_Lightningtail rolled his eyes. "It doesn't matter whether you _want _to hear it or not."_

_I let a huff of air out of my nose. "Fine! What is it?"_

"_Go to the Island at the next quarter-moon."_

"_Is that it?" I snarled, "Why should I?"_

"_Well, if you don't want to, I can't force you," he sighed, "I guess Scarmask was right; choosing a rogue was a bad idea."_

_An odd feeling stirred in the pit of my stomach. I knew that I must do what he said. If not for him, then at least for myself._

"_I'll do it," I meowed, my voice barely above a whisper._

"_What?" Lightningtail asked, looking up at me._

"_I will go to the Island."_

_He dipped his head. "Thank you Stain. You will not regret it; I promise."_

_My dream slowly faded away, and there was nothing in my vision but blackness as I continued to sleep…_


	7. Chapter 7

Lightfall's POV

"Lightfall, Lightfall, Lightfall!" a small voice yowled. I lifted my head up, my mind still blurred with sleep. As my eyes adjusted to the morning light, I saw Ivykit sitting in front of me, the look on her face of pure pleasure.

"Yes, what is it Ivykit?" I asked.

"Me and Mousekit are going to be apprentices today!" she declared, puffing out her chest.

"Oh, congratulations!" I meowed. I had forgotten that Stormlight's two kits had reached their sixth moon.

"And that's not all," she continued, "Branchpaw and Willowpaw are becoming warriors."

"Good for them," I purred, "So, Ivykit, are you and your sister going to train extra hard?"

The gray tabby kit nodded vigorously. "We'll be the best apprentices WindClan has ever seen!"

"I'm sure you will."

Ivykit ran out of the den, declaring her good news to anyone who was willing to listen.

My mind floated back to the subject of my Moonpool dream a few sunrises ago. What had Windstar chosen me for? And why me? I had to stop my musings when Echostar called the Clan together.

"Today, WindClan has new warriors and new apprentices. I will start will the warriors. I, Echostar, leader of WindClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on these apprentices. They have trained hard to learn the ways of your noble code, and I commend you to make them warriors in their turn. Willowpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend this Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

"I do," Willowpaw meowed quietly.

"Then by the powers of StarClan I give you your warrior name. Willowpaw, from now on you shall be known as Willowheart. StarClan honors your courage and your integrity, and we welcome you as a full warrior of WindClan. Branchpaw, do _you _promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend this Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

"I do," the tom replied, louder than his sister.

"Then by the powers of StarClan I give you your warrior name. Branchpaw, from now on you shall be known as Branchtail. StarClan honors your energy and dedication, and we welcome you as a full warrior of WindClan."

"Willowheart, Branchtail! Willowheart, Branchtail!" the Clan cheered.

Echostar cleared her throat. "Now for the apprentices. Mousekit, Ivykit, please step forward. Mousekit, you will now be known as Mousepaw. Breezeheart will be your mentor."

The shy Mousepaw touched her nose to Breezeheart's before ducking away, embarrassed. Maybe the small brown she-cat could learn from her spirited new mentor.

"Ivykit, you will now be known as Ivypaw. Ashwing will be your mentor."

Ashwing's blue eyes blinked in surprise. The young warrior must not have known she was going to be a mentor. She touched noses to Ivypaw, and the new apprentice bounded up and down, unable to contain herself. I purred, brave and enthusiastic cats like Ivypaw would be the future of WindClan, and I couldn't be any more proud.

_My dreams were peaceful. The clarity of everything I could see was astounding, and I watched in awe as a scene began to unfold in front of me._

_Two cats, a white she-cat and a black tom, were sitting in front of me, staring into each other's eyes. After a while, the she-cat dropped her gaze._

_"What's wrong?" the tom asked._

_"I don't know," she paused, "This, us, it doesn't feel right."_

_"But it _is_ right. There's something special about you, something I've never experienced before. I love you, remember that."_

_The she-cat grunted, still unsure. The tom watched her for a long moment. Deep emotions flickered across his green eyes, some familiar to me, some not. Finally, he stood up. _

_"Well, I'll remember that. Someday you'll see. I love you more than you could ever imagine, and I'll prove that to you someday. Someday," he finished, his voice steady, "Someday you will love me back. I'll talk to you again in the morning. Goodnight."_

_The image faded away, and I could feel a stillness in the clearing. The stillness of words left unspoken._

_"Well, wasn't that touching?" meowed a voice behind me. I turned around, and there was a strangely familiar wiry brown she-cat there, staring at me with unblinking yellow eyes. _

_"Windstar?" I asked, not sure if my identification of the new addition was correct._

_She rolled her eyes, and scoffed softly, "The one and only."_

_I nodded. "What was that? What did I just see?"_

_"The future, Lightfall. Part of what will soon become another famous tale of two star-crossed lovers, even though at this time they have not yet met."_

_"Does it have anything to do with me?"_

_"It does if you want it to," she replied._

_"Is there anything else you want to tell me, Windstar?"_

_Now she nodded. "Yes. You still remember your dream during the last Moonpool visit, do you not?" she didn't wait for an answer, "Good. Then you know that you have been chosen for a very important journey, one that will shape the future of the Clans in more ways than one. But you will not be alone. Three others have been chosen. Snowheart of ShadowClan. Leafpaw of RiverClan. Stain, a rogue. You will meet with these cats on the night of the quarter-moon, on the Island. It is impeccable that you be there, Lightfall. You must not let me down."_

_Before I could respond, she padded away. But that didn't matter. I knew that I would be there. It was time to see what these mysteries were really all about._


End file.
